At twenty-eight, Lin Feng is a junior staffer at a municipal government office. Talented but without connections, he is ignored at work. At home, he is worn down by his wife Su Ting's coldness and constant complaints, living like a trapped beast. By chance, Zhang Wei, a sharp and capable deputy section chief, extends an "olive branch": from coaching him on reports and recommending him for important research assignments to spelling out the rules for survival in government. Zhang Wei clears a fast track to promotion for him, but there is an ambiguous trap hidden along the way.
Faced with the resentment of having his talent overlooked, the suffocation of a breaking marriage, and the temptations of power, Lin Feng's character begins to twist. He starts setting aside his pride, learning to read people's minds and attach himself to others, struggling again and again between "dignity" and "shortcuts." Is this seemingly smooth road to success his salvation, or the beginning of a descent into the abyss?
